Professional ethics proves to be the best supervisor at
schools, and only teachers’ love towards their students can help them do their
job well. Installing cameras at schools is the last resolution, said Nguyen Thi
Kim Thanh, Head of the Pre-school Education Division under the HCM City
Education and Training Department.

The information that the HCM City Education and Training Department allows
kindergartens in the city to install cameras in order to help prevent classroom
abuses has become a widely discussed topic on education forums. Some people
believe that installing cameras in classrooms is a good idea as this will allow
the supervision of children and teachers. After the incident involving Tran Thi
Xuan Nu, a teacher who put a child into a lift, thus causing severe injuries to
him, people call for measures to prevent maltreatment at schools.

Could you please tell us more about the plan by the city’s Education and
Training Department to install cameras at kindergarten classrooms?

It is true that the possibility of installing cameras in classrooms has been
discussed, but the Department has not made the final decision. However, I
personally think that headmasters of kindergartens should think carefully first.

You still say that schools need to “think carefully”, while many schools have
installed cameras already. Do you think this is an effective measure to reduce
the number of classroom abuses?

There are always two sides of a coin. But I think schools should only use
cameras as the last resolution.

In fact, children’s activities cannot be supervised only by cameras, because
children do not stay in the same places, they can be in classrooms, on the
school yards, in corridors, or toilets.

Meanwhile, cameras will create psychological pressure on teachers. They will
feel that someone is supervising them and they do not get sufficient respect.

A civilized society should not use this measure. Twenty years ago, cameras were
used in classrooms in France. However, the measure began to be strongly opposed
by teachers, who felt that they had to work in an environment where they were
not respected.

Besides, in order to install cameras, every school needs to spend tens of
millions dong, and then more on their regular maintenance. .

What should we do to improve the management and teaching quality at
kindergartens?

Schools need to build afriendly atmosphere for teachers and students. It is
Professional ethics, not camera, which is the best supervisor at schools, and
only teachers’ love towards their students can help them do their work well.

People have warned that similar maltreatment cases may occur in the future,
because many children are brought to low quality household-run classes. How
should this problem be addressed?

The problem now is that most of the immigrants are poor and they have to bring
their children to the household-run classes which are cheaper. However, the
classes are not licensed and only provide most basic conditions. They lack
necessary facilities and teaching staff. This is really an urgent problem within
developed urban areas.

Thai Phuong